Noni (Morinda citrifolia) is a fruit with extraordinary healing properties that most North Americans have never heard of. Noni is a small evergreen tree which grows in open coastal regions and in forest areas up to 1,000 feet above sea-level. It can be found from India to Indochina, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands, like Hawaii.
Preparations of the noni plant has been demonstrated to improve a wide variety of health conditions. Dr Heinicke searched for years to find the active ingredient in noni. After years of research, he eventually identified this ingredient as a new alkaloid – xeronine, which may play a key role in encouraging proper cell function and growth in the body. Xeronine is formed in the large intestine where a chemical reaction occurs between proxeronine and proxeronase – two substances found in abundance in the noni fruit. There are also other substances present which contribute to its rejuvenating qualtity.
Research indicates that noni stimulates the immune system, regulating cell function and cellular regeneration of damaged cells. The fact that noni seems to operate on the very basic and critical cellular level may explain why it is useful for a wide variety of conditions. Limited animal studies have been done and some human cancer studies are underway. Most of the evidence for its use is anecdotal. Since many noni products are sold via multilevel marketing, some caution is necessary regarding exaggerated claims.
For use in the United States, the noni fruit is prepared primarily as a food supplement in juice or capsule form. Most suppliers use only fresh juice which is not allowed to ferment. The plant is very bitter and has an adverse odor. Some preparations are sweetened with fruit juice to make them more palatable. However, this dilutes the juice, requiring that larger amounts be taken. Some products contain only 10% noni juice. The popular belief that the only acceptable form of Noni supplement is as juice is probably due to a misconception put forward for commercial reasons.
The best supplementation of Noni may be in a freeze-dried, powdered form. This freeze-drying process removes only the water without damaging any of this plant’s vital enzymes and avoids the almost intolerable smell.
Thermal processing and dehydration techniques both use methods employing low temperature heat at 110F (43.3C). Thermal processing is the most common in liquid preparations while dehydration processing is used to produce capsules.
Noni may best be taken up to an hour before a meal, as the juice will then pass rapidly through the stomach into the intestines. There seems to be less beneficial action if taken on a full stomach. The pepsin and acid in the stomach destroy the enzyme that liberates xeronine. The juice should not be taken with coffee, tobacco or alcohol as side effects can occur and the beneficial effect of xeronine can be reduced.
Some recommend starting a noni program by consuming up to 32 ounces of 100% juice (or the equivalent) in one week. Thereafter, one to ounces are taken daily. One 500mg capsule is considered the equivalent of 1Tbsp of 100% juice. Thus one bottle of capsules (60) equals a 32 ounce bottle of juice. Check the label carefully before buying. There is a lot of competition between companies, which includes less than accurate advertising.